The classic car world can, at times, be rightfully accused of taking itself just a little bit too seriously. Naturally, any industry which is worth in excess of £18B per year in the UK alone has the right to be treated with great sincerity, but occasionally there is a reminder that this is a passion as well as a profession. For many, the Heveningham Concours, held the final weekend of June, was that welcome reminder.
As we’ve reported before, the Heveningham Concours is the ultimate cross-pollinator in blending a country fair and world-class car show in ways that absolutely should not work – but absolutely do. At no other event do you find international CEOs, used to fighting for top honours at international concours d’elegance, queuing to see the a sheep show or the camel derby.
First-time visitors continue to be blown away with the event’s laid-back style as well as the generous complementary accommodation and hospitality within the Wilderness Reserve estate. There can’t be many (if any) places offering a better introduction to Suffolk’s charm and beauty, and concours entrants from as far as North and South America tell me that they’ve never been so well looked after at an event.
This year’s concours line up was billed as the best yet, and it would be hard to argue against that. Highlights were plentiful and included the de Cadenet family’s ex-Mille Miglia 1931 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Touring spider, which the late Alain had acquired in 1972, a 1956 Maserati A6G/54 Zagato all the way from Mexico, and the enchanting ex-Alan Clark 1952 Jaguar C-Type.
XKC013 is a veteran of the 1954 Sebring 12 Hours and multiple SCCA rounds over 1955 and ’56, yet remains a fascinating survivor in captivating unrestored condition. It returned to the UK in the late 1980s, retaining its unique in-period front lighting modifications, and joined the collection of the much-celebrated author, MP, and car enthusiast Alan Clark shortly after. Clark kept the car until his death in 1999, his Rottweilers having used its loping bonnet as a dog bed on occasion, and it has been away from public display for many years. The new family owners acquired XKC013 in late 2023 and, following some highly sympathetic recommissioning, elected to use the Heveningham Concours Tour as its inaugural run with yours truly invited as a very grateful navigator.
As is the custom for the circa 60 mile tour, the route is a closely guarded secret until the morning of the off, and this year’s remarkable cavalcade wound briefly inland along prime Suffolk B-roads, before looping back east toward the coast. Both the owner and I agree that this is perfect C-Type country, utterly smitten with this soulful and now – quite unbelievably – 72-year-old sports racer. After a brief pause at the picturesque seaside town of Aldeburgh, the locals somewhat paralysed by the arrival of such automotive unobtanium, a picnic and live music awaited the tour at the haunting remains of Sibton Abbey. Generously fed and watered, just a short drive separated the owners from the weekend’s only difficult task: manoeuvring their cars onto the eternally dramatic and now-famous Heveningham Concours terraces.
For the first time this year, the concours judges had more than three class winners to find. Historically, trophies have been awarded to the best prewar, postwar, and supercar entries, but for 2024 there were no fewer than eight prizes up for grabs. (See full list below)
The judges this year included car design royalty in the form of Peter Stevens and Tony Hatter, motorsport heroes Marino Franchitti and David Richards, and Magneto magazine editor and co-founder David Lillywhite. With Sandra Button, chairwoman of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, in attendance as guest of honour, the pressure was on. Amidst competition from a particularly graceful 1939 Lagonda V12 Rapide, the ex-Louis Chiron Maserati 250F and the ex-Bond villain Jaguar C-X75, it was the ex-Bruce McLaren 1961 Jaguar E-Type which emerged as Best of Show.
Lauded for a fastidious restoration and the provenance of its first owner, it was high praise indeed among such esteemed company. Another Best of Show, taking the Hanna Aviation Trophy in the aircraft concours, was the gloriously art deco 1934 Lockheed Martin 12A Electra Junior.
With the serious business concluded, the Heveningham Concours returned to what it does best: fun. Competing for the fastest time up Horsepower Hill was the usual spectacular array of hypercars, perhaps only outclassed (if not outpaced) by the 1934 Bentley Barnato-Hassan Special or 1956 Jaguar D-Type, which had both escaped the concours lawn to participate, and it was a Ferrari SF90 that came up trumps this time around. The only spectacle to command even more attention was the Spitfire display, an annual privilege at Heveningham that never ceases to mesmerize every single person among the 10,000-strong crowd.
If the Heveningham Concours is the only car event you attend in 2025, we’re confident that you won’t be disappointed.
Heveningham Concours award winners in full:
- “The Stylish Years” (prewar 1886–1945): 1939 Lagonda V12 Rapide drophead coupe by James Young
- “The Dawning of a New Era” (postwar 1946–1965): 1961 Jaguar E-Type Series I roadster
- “Emerging Style” (post-modern 1966–1999): 1968 Alpine A220
- “Speed and Beauty Combined” (performance 1966–1999): 1972 Lancia Fulvia Sport 1600 Zagato
- “Faster, Faster” (performance 2000–2024): 2015 Jaguar C-X75 Spectre Stunt Car
- “Take Me Ohm” (hybrid and electric): 2022 M-Sport Ford Puma WRC
- “The Challenge of Tarmac or Dirt” (race and rally): 1956 Maserati 250F
- “Need for Speed” (record breakers): 1922 AC Works Brooklands Racer
